Tropical Storm Lala forms in Central Pacific; hurricane watch issued for Big Island of Hawaii

HONOLULU — Tropical Storm Lala formed Thursday in the Pacific Ocean and a hurricane watch has been issued for the Big Island of Hawaii, forecasters said.

The storm could bring heavy rain, high winds and dangerous surf to the Hawaiian Islands starting late Friday, the National Hurricane Center said.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Hernan formed Thursday in the Pacific Ocean and wasn't threatening land while a different storm system that could bring heavy rain and flooding this weekend moved toward Hawaii, forecasters said.

Hernan was about 1,460 miles west of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula of Mexico, the National Hurricane Center said. Maximum sustained winds were around 40 mph and it was moving west.

The system could bring rainfall totals of 5 to 10 inches in the island chain, with up to 20 inches possible, forecasters said. That could produce flooding and mudslides, the center said.

In the Atlantic Ocean, Tropical Storm Cristobal weakened into a tropical depression and was expected to dissipate Thursday, the center said. It was about 610 miles west of the Azores and didn't threaten land.

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